Was this the dunk of the year?

With Thursday’s first quarter about to end, Denver’s J.R. Smith made a casual little crossover on the right side of the 3-point arc.

Suddenly, Smith exploded.

He darted into the lane, and as if he was on a trampoline, soared toward the basket from mid-key — holding the ball in the air, extended over his head, with both hands. Air traffic control was on alert. A fellow named Gary Neal cut in front of Smith, trying to draw a charge, but Smith kept right on sky-walking, his knees colliding with Neal’s chest. As Smith slammed the ball, he beat the buzzer (0.6) and a foul was called on poor Neal. Pepsi Center erupted with euphoria. Smith cupped his hand to his ear. Kevin Harlan, TNT’s emphatic broadcaster, screamed to America: “We just saw a man fly!”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.